It would work. The mithral armor acts as a lighter version of armor in all ways except proficiency. As long as you have the correct feats you are good to go.
Mithral: Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than steel but just as hard. When worked like steel, it becomes a wonderful material from which to create armor, and is occasionally used for other items as well. Most mithral armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. This decrease does not apply to proficiency in wearing the armor.
I'd allow it. Mithral Full Plate is pretty expensive though. It's what, 10500 gold for a suit, even without enhancements?
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If I understand the rules correctly, the magus would still suffer the arcane spell failure chance for wearing mithral full plate. Full plate carries a 35% arcane spell failure chance, reduced to 25% for mithral.
Medium Armor (Ex)
At 7th level, a magus gains proficiency with medium armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.Mithral
Mithral is a very rare silvery, glistening metal that is lighter than steel but just as hard.... Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. This decrease does not apply to proficiency in wearing the armor. A character wearing mithral full plate must be proficient in wearing heavy armor to avoid adding the armor's check penalty to all his attack rolls and skill checks that involve moving. Spell failure chances for armors and shields made from mithral are decreased by 10%, ...
I would interpret this to mean that the msgus still has the srcane spell failure chance, since the armor proficiency feat per se has no effect on arcane spell failure chance.
At 7th level the magus gains not only the armor proficiency (medium) feat, but also the ability to cast spells without the risk of spell failure. I do not think this ability would apply to heavy armor treated as medium armor.
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If I understand the rules correctly, the magus would still suffer the arcane spell failure chance for wearing mithral full plate. Full plate carries a 35% arcane spell failure chance, reduced to 25% for mithral. The armor proficiency feats hsve no effect.
Or does the "all ways except weapon proficiency" mean that the magus can treat mithral full plate as medium armor for avoiding arcane spell failure? The armor proficiency feats by themselves do not reduce spell failure chance.
Medium Armor (Ex)At 7th level, a magus gains proficiency with medium armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.
That's exactly what it means. The only thing in the game that treats it as heavy still is the proficiency feats, all other abilities, feats and text will consider a mithril heavy armor to be a medium armor.
In fact, even without proficiency their only penalty would be -3 to hit (taking armor check penalty to attack rolls).
I would say that you can wear it b/c you are in essence wasting a feat (and a truckload of money) so he can wear full plate a few levels early.
That's the way I've always interpreted it Taleek. Though considering you'll get heavy armor eventually it does seem like a lot of money to spend for level 7 (and a feat, which you never really get enough of).
I would interpret this to mean that the msgus still has the srcane spell failure chance, since the armor proficiency feat per se has no effect on arcane spell failure chance.
At 7th level the magus gains not only the armor proficiency (medium) feat, but also the ability to cast spells without the risk of spell failure. I do not think this ability would apply to heavy armor treated as medium armor.
Proficiency is clearly listed there as being the ONLY exception. Since the Magus' ability to cast in armor is not related to proficiency, it therefore does not fall under the exception. If they had intended to not have it apply to classes that could cast in armor, they would have clarified it long ago in regards to the Bard or Summoner.
As has already been brought up, there's plenty of cost involved in this (you need the appropriate proficiency feat and a ton of money), so it's not like it unbalances the game, especially since the Magus gets the ability to cast in full plate for far cheaper later on.
That's the way I've always interpreted it Taleek. Though considering you'll get heavy armor eventually it does seem like a lot of money to spend for level 7 (and a feat, which you never really get enough of).I agree hgsolo. I am mostly weighing options for a possible character idea- a Magus that takes levels in the Hellknight prestige class. One of the key abilities of the prestige class are bonuses provided while wearing Hellknight armor, which is heavy, but in getting a Magus to the point where he could wear heavy armor without taking a feat or special caveat also precludes you from taking the full 10 levels of the PrC.
Just a couple of ideas, I really appreciate the quick and thoughtful replies!
Ah, well I suppose it depends how much you value the PrC. If you plan on going to level 20 you can go magus 13/hellknight 7. You lose the hellknight capstone and a couple abilities but it does get you up to 5th level spells.
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I just looked at the tables again - mithral full plate would carry a 25% spell failure chance, typical for medium armor. So, yeah, even I must now agree.
I'm kind of curious what exactly you thought the lightness of mithral applied to if not armor-related class abilities.
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I just looked at the tables again - mithral full plate would carry a 25% spell failure chance, typical for medium armor. So, yeah, even I must now agree.I'm kind of curious what exactly you thought the lightness of mithral applied to if not armor-related class abilities.
I was thinking that the awkwardness of the armor would still interfere with complicated gestures. After all, the character is still encased in metal, albeit light metal. I would think that the joints of the suit would still make the gesticulations difficult.
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I was thinking that the awkwardness of the armor would still interfere with complicated gestures. After all, the character is still encased in metal, albeit light metal. I would think that the joints of the suit would still make the gesticulations difficult.I just looked at the tables again - mithral full plate would carry a 25% spell failure chance, typical for medium armor. So, yeah, even I must now agree.I'm kind of curious what exactly you thought the lightness of mithral applied to if not armor-related class abilities.
They do - for those that don't have practice working around them, which a magus does.
Proficiency is clearly listed there as being the ONLY exception. Since the Magus' ability to cast in armor is not related to proficiency, it therefore does not fall under the exception. If they had intended to not have it apply to classes that could cast in armor, they would have clarified it long ago in regards to the Bard or Summoner.
+1. I took the OP's word for it that the ability to cast in medium armor was given later on. There is a 3.5 feat(battle caster?) that would allow what the OP wants, but he has to sell the idea to his GM.
Sounds like it works fine to me.
is pretty straight forward. Mithril Full Plate is medium armor for everything except proficienty, and the above rule quote about casting in medium armor seems to fit into ´everything except proficiency´ pretty well. Mithril calling out a lower ASF% /doesn´t mean/ that the Mithril Armor isn´t treated as one category lighter for class abilities that bypass ASF% in X classes of Armor, the category reduction still applies, even if that makes the exact ASF% irrelevant: all Light Armors exact ASF% is already irrelevant from Level 1 of Magus.
You can also do a similar trick at earlier levels, using Mithril Breastplate while your spells only ignore Arcane Spell Failure in Light Armor.